


Eight Months And Counting

by Sabene4511



Series: So Many Revelations [7]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: M/M, Mac Whump, Pining, Vampire AU (kinda)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:53:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22540537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sabene4511/pseuds/Sabene4511
Summary: So sorry this took so long! This one has actually been mostly done for a while, but I wanted to be further into the next one before I posted it. Life has been crazy, but I'm about 14 pages into the next one now, and I think it's going to end up at about 16-17, so I hope to have it out in a week or two.The title of this is fairly self explanitory, 8 months after Jack left. Mac is not having an easy time.You only need to have read Part 2 of the series for this story to make sense. Though the rest are (obviously) suggested. This story is a slow build to Mac X Jack (The smut will be in the next story! Though you'll be able to skip it without missing anything if it's not your jam).Enjoy!!
Relationships: Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Series: So Many Revelations [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1380847
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	Eight Months And Counting

**Eight Months And Counting**

Matty lets herself in as always. She knows Mac isn’t expecting anyone tonight. He’d even asked Bozer to spend the night at Leanna’s. He told them all that he had a report to finish on his lab project and needed to focus, but she knows better. As she heads out to the deck, she sees a beer in his hand...and another one sitting unopened on the table. She chuckles silently.

“You knew I’d come.”

He doesn’t turn around. “I knew you’d recognize that the lab report was just an excuse. I submitted it to you this morning. And I knew that you’d probably stop by to see what was actually going on. Besides, if you didn’t show, I wouldn’t have to go back inside for my next round.”

She looks around and sees 4 already empty bottles by the fire. “So...what’s going on, Mac?”

“I just want to be alone for a while.”

“Ok, but that still doesn’t answer my question. What’s going on?”

Mac sighs and his shoulders sag. “I just can’t believe it.”

“Believe what?” She opens her beer and sits by the fire, knowing that crowding him would probably make things worse.

“Eight months. It hit me like a truck today. How has it already been _eight months_?”

Matty doesn’t like feeling confused, and she has no idea what Mac is....oh....right. “Wow. I honestly didn’t realize Jack had been gone that long until you just said it. It’s...kind of hard to believe. You know, and if you tell anyone what I’m about to say I will have you on milk runs for a year, but I actually miss the guy.”

Mac turns around, smiling sadly. Then walks over and sits across the fire from her.

“I won’t tell. I still can’t believe he actually left.”

“Yes you can. You just can’t believe he left _without you_.”

Mac takes a swig of his beer and closes his eyes. “He doesn’t want me to see him.”

“See him?”

“In full Delta mode. I’ve seen him kill before, but to see the machine he would’ve had to be back in his Delta days: point, shoot, kill, move on, repeat?” He shakes his head. “He likes to believe that I’m still the naive kid he first met in the Afghani desert, at least in that respect. He _chooses_ to believe that I don’t know the kinds of things he’s done, had to do. And he has to go back to being that machine now, in order to find and take down a man like Kovacs. He wouldn’t be able to do that if I was standing there watching him.”

“You know, you have clearance to read most of his mission reports from those days, not all of them, but…”

“No, I can’t do that. He wouldn’t want me to, and to be honest, I don’t need to. I doubt there’d be much of anything in them that would really surprise me. I’m sure there are details that would be shocking just by their nature. But _Jack’s_ actions? Maybe someone playing Monday morning quarterback would be able to find fault in some of his decisions. But I highly doubt anyone in Jack’s place, in the moment, with only the information he had _at the time_ , would have been able to do any better. I know some of it still tortures him. I know he still second guesses some of the choices he made, but _I know_ he did the best he possibly could, and _better_ than most people would have been able to do. The thing is, I understand him not wanting me to see him that way. I really do. Just...if anything happens to him, and I’m not there….”

“ _If_ something happens to him, it’s not your fault. He chose to accept the assignment, and he chose not to have you go with him.”

“Yes, but have you thought about why?” When she doesn’t answer, he continues. “I’m not saying it’s _all_ my fault that he left, but I certainly made it easier for him.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nigeria.”

“He doesn’t…”

“No, Matty. Not the fact that I quit Phoenix and left. That part he understands. But not answering his calls while I was there, never calling him back?” He shakes his head and sips his beer. “That hurt him. More than I realized. I was so wrapped up in my own head with everything that was going on with my Dad, then with Murdoc killing Jill, I didn’t even think about what I did to him. It was cold, and cruel, and selfish.”

“He didn’t see it that way.”

“Yes, he did. When he went to help Worthy and I followed him to the airport to go with him? I asked him why he didn’t ask me to help. He said he wasn’t sure where he and I stood anymore, because I left, then came back, then started to leave again and only stayed because Jill died.”

“I’m not going to lie to you, Mac. He was hurt that you wouldn’t talk to him, but he knows you. He knew you needed space and enough time to figure things out for yourself. He forgave you long before he left.”

He shakes his head again. “He may have forgiven me, but things have been different between us since then. Not bad, just...not as effortless as it used to be. There’s tension, an uncertainty that wasn’t there before. He and I made a promise to each other way back in Afghanistan, and we’ve repeated that promise dozens of times in different ways. It all boiled down to one thing though...we stick together, never leave the other behind. It’s a promise we _both_ kept for almost eight years, until I...I broke it.” His voice breaks on the last words.

She watches him force back tears by sheer force of will and he swallows the sob threatening to burble out as he continues. “I broke that promise, caused the rift. I made him doubt me, and I have no right to expect him to honor that promise now. I knew that before this whole thing with Kovacs came up. I just thought we’d have time to work it out, for me to regain his trust. I never thought...and now, if he doesn’t come back, I…” The first tear slips free when he blinks and he quickly wipes it away.

Matty desperately wants to approach him, to comfort him. But Jack is really the only one Mac allows that close when he’s vulnerable, so she settles for words. “As much as it annoys me to admit, Jack is one of the best field operatives I’ve ever met. If anyone can complete this mission and come back in one piece, it’s him. You can’t doubt him, Mac.”

“I told Riley the same thing, but we both know that anything can happen on a mission and it doesn’t have to be any kind of mistake made by him or even someone else on his team that causes it to go sideways. I don’t doubt his abilities. I’ve _never_ doubted his abilities. But I know the odds. Sooner or later...and I won’t be there.”

“And what if you _were_ there? Mac, if things really go _that_ sideways, there probably wouldn’t be anything you could do either.” She watches his reaction to her words. He seems edgy all of a sudden, like he feels guilty, and she suddenly remembers what he _could_ do. “Oh, Mac. You can’t. You know you can’t do that, right?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He’s not even trying to be convincing.

“Mac….”

“It wasn’t my idea!” He suddenly yells, before visibly willing himself to be calm. “Okay? But I promised him Matty, and I won’t break that promise.”

“What exactly did you promise him? You know you can’t promise to infect him.”

“No, but I can promise to _try_. He said to wait until he’s already dying, so if it doesn’t work it won’t make a difference.”

“Maybe not to _him_ , but what would that do to _you_? I know the connection that’s made when you drink from someone, Mac. If it doesn’t work, will you be able to handle that?”

Another tear slips free and this time he ignores it. “I don’t know, but I know I _won’t_ be able to handle just watching him die, knowing there’s even a _chance_ I could save him and choosing not to in order to protect _myself_ .” He takes a deep breath. “But now he’s taken that chance away from me, away from _him_. If something happens halfway around the world…he just dies...alone. To be fair, losing him either way would probably destroy me.” Several more tears slide from his long lashes and make their way over his cheeks to his jaw.

Matty feels her heart breaking for her young agent, her friend. “Have you told him?” She asks quietly.

He looks at her, realizing by her tone that she’s changed topics, but he’s clearly confused as to what it is. “Told him what?”

“How you feel about him.”

His face goes blank, except the hint of fear in his eyes that only someone who knows him well would even notice. “He’s one of my best friends. We’ve had our difficulties lately, but I have no doubt that he knows that.”

She tilts her head, a small smirk fighting it’s way onto her face. “I’ve seen the way you look at him when you think no one is paying attention.” His eyes widen and his mouth opens the slightest bit before she continues and really shocks him. “And how he looks at you the same way when _he_ thinks no one’s watching.”

She snickers at the look of pure astonishment on his face. “I know Riley has caught him at least twice, though I don’t think she’s said anything to him about it, and I don’t think he realized she noticed.” Mac still looks absolutely dumbstruck and she smiles warmly. “You really didn’t know? So _he_ hasn’t told _you_ either?”

“Wait, he told you…”

“He didn’t have to tell me anything, just like you didn’t have to.”

“Matty, you can’t be right, Jack is straight.”

She starts chuckling. “What ever gave you that idea? Did he tell you that?”

“No, but…why are you laughing?!”

“I’m sorry, but it really is like some silly, cliche romantic-comedy movie plot, where it’s _completely obvious_ how you feel about each other...to everyone _except_ the two of you. Seriously Mac, Hollywood couldn’t write this any better.” She struggles not to completely crack up laughing, but it’s a close thing. “Even Desi asked me about the two of you and she’s never even seen you together!”

“What? Seriously?”

“Yeah. She said you weren’t acting like a man whose friend got deployed. You were acting more like a jilted lover. I told her I didn’t _think_ you had ever been lovers, but that I’d also never asked. Guess now I know the answer.”

“So Jack knows…” He drops his face into his hands, shaking his head.

“He knows you’re bi, but I doubt he knows how you feel about _him_ in particular if you haven’t told him. Like I said, it’s only obvious to everyone else. You two have been completely clueless about each other.” She starts chuckling again.

“I’m so glad you find this funny.”

“Oh, come on, Mac. It _is_ funny. You guys are a chick-flick for cryin’ out loud!”

She’s starting to laugh harder, unable to hold it in anymore, wiping tears from her eyes. At least he’s smiling now, even starting to chuckle a little when she really loses control.

“Alright, alright.”

“You know, blondie, when he gets back, you two need to sit down and have a good, long talk. It’s _way_ overdue. Even if you decide to keep your relationship the way it is, at least everything will be settled and in the open.”

“I don’t want things to be awkward. Besides, what makes you think he’s not straight? Other than the way you _think_ he looks at me. As far as I know, he’s never dated a man before, and he’s never said anything about a guy before.”

“I’m not wrong about the way he looks at you, so stop. Though you’re right, I’ve never heard of him dating a man before either. So, why don’t I think he’s straight? _Besides_ the way he ogles you?” She winks at him for emphasis. “You _have_ heard the way he talks about Bruce Willis, right?”

Mac just about chokes on the sip of beer he’s taking, spitting half of it down his chin as he laughs and coughs at the same time.

“Try to tell me I’m wrong, Mac. If that’s not a _serious_ man crush, I don’t know what is.”

“Okay, okay, you got me on that one. I never thought about it like that.” He laughs again, shaking his head. “Anyway, he has to have his reasons for not saying anything.”

“Sure, and knowing Jack, they’re all about the various ways he thinks he’s not good enough for you.” She replies sarcastically.

Mac huffs a mirthless laugh, then sighs heavily. “I wish he could see himself the way I do.”

Matty stands, places her empty bottle with the others and walks up to Mac, putting a hand on his arm. “He’ll be home before you know it. And when he gets here, you can help him with that. Okay?”

“Thanks, Matty. Really.”

“Any time, blondie.” She smiles softly. “So is Bozer _actually_ moving in with Leanna this time?”

“He’s hoping this weekend. As long as the world’s terrorists cooperate so we don’t have to work instead.” They both chuckle.

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Have a good night, Mac.”

“You too, Matty. See you tomorrow.”

Matty nods, then walks back through the house. As she closes the front door behind her, she quietly mutters “Now, I just need to have a conversation with the other character in this chick-flick.” She smiles as she walks to her car.

\-----------------------------------------

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this one! Please drop me a kudos and/or a comment to let me know!


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